Everything We Know About Darius Rucker’s New Album, ‘Southern Style’

With three country albums under his belt and one on the way -- not to mention his previous career as the frontman of Hootie and the Blowfish -- Darius Rucker is a seasoned artist who continuously doles out music that gets country fans excited.

Rucker is preparing for his next album, Southern Style, the follow-up to his gold-certified True Believers, and he says that the new disc will be a bit of a reinvention. The singer has been slowly revealing record details through interviews and is clearly excited about what's ahead. Here is everything we know about Rucker's new album.

The Title

Rucker's new album is titled Southern Style, which is also the name of one of the record's tracks. He says that the song is indicative of the entire theme of the disc, which is more about party songs and less about love songs.

The Release Date

Southern Style will be released on March 31.

The Single

"Homegrown Honey" is the first single from Southern Style, and it was released on Aug. 25, 2014. The song was co-written by Rucker, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley and songwriter-producer Nathan Chapman, and the tune isn't necessarily reminiscent of Rucker's previous hits; in fact, he calls it a "country party song."

"It's a little different for me," Rucker says of the track. "It's not one of those family songs — it's really a country party song. It's talking about some country girl who lives in New York City. It's got hooks galore."

With lyrics like "Long-stem legs in your cowboy boots / Throwing back whiskey straight, no water / Girl, there ain't nothing hotter," we agree -- it's definitely not a family song.

The Vibe

Fun. That's what Rucker is aiming for in this new record.

“We wanted to have a little more fun with this record,” he says, and fun he will have. The singer has opened up about several of the disc's songs, and they're lighter on the subject matter and sound like a good time will be had by both listeners and Rucker.

Confirmed Tracks

Obviously the single "Homegrown Honey" will be on the record, as well as the title track. Written with Rivers Rutherford, "Southern Style" sounds like a hoot; Rucker has even revealed a few of the lyrics: “The opening line is ‘Big blond hair, too much makeup, high-heel boots that lace up, got two first names that came from her grandmas on both sides.’ It’s one of those country songs that I love.”

Other songs that Rucker has mentioned include "I Sang" and "Down Here." "I Sang" is an ode to why he became a singer, while "Down Here" was written with Frank Rogers. It gives a sly spin on life on earth, with lyrics like “I’m sure heaven’s nice, but tonight it ain’t too bad down here.”

The Record Label

Rucker's new record will again be released by Capitol Nashville.

The Cover

The cover art of Southern Style shows Rucker in a relaxed state. He's sporting a worn-out T-shirt and a cross necklace, his signature smile spread across his face. Rucker is, of course, with his beloved acoustic guitar, and we have to say it: the 48-year-old obviously takes good care of himself and spends time at the gym.

The Producer

The new record includes Frank Rogers, who has worked on Rucker's past three studio albums as a country singer.

"Frank does great Darius records," Rucker raves. "I can't go in to record with the attitude that I want to sound different. It's all about the songs for me. I want great songs. And if we have great songs, then Frank is the genius and does what he does."

The Tour

After the album's release, Rucker will launch his Southern Style Tour in Holmdel, N.J., on May 14. Brett Eldredge, Brothers Osborne and A Thousand Horses will join him as guests throughout the trek. Only the cities that the tour would stop in were announced originally, but additional details and ticket information is available at DariusRucker.com.